NEXT STOP: POP-UPS - The Popuplady

Chapter
Augmented
2
Reality
FIGURE 2.1
Cover The Search for Wondla
FIGURE 2.2
Author demonstrating Augmented Reality page.
Between 2009 and 2010 the field of Augmented Reality (AR) has grown exponentially.
One of the developers of Augmented Reality is MXR (Mixed Reality Lab), a spin-off
research company owned by the National University of Singapore. 1 Originally the viewer
needed to wear goggles to experience this technology which includes elements of the real
world and the virtual world that are interactive in real time. 2 Since Augmented Reality is
such a huge topic, only the effects it has on the book, greeting card and direct marketing
business will be covered. All the aforementioned come under the umbrella, marker or
markerless Augmented Reality. The pop-ups in AR are viewed on the computer monitor
when a webcam “sees” the marker or other target on the physical book or other tangible
paper object. Today the AR images may be viewed on a smart phone that has an webcam
installed. In the future, this will help to keep the expense of paper movables down, while
continuing to emulate the pop-up/3D experience. MXR, in 2008 was on the verge of
creating virtual 3D pop-ups for children’s books. These are yet to be produced, but as
recently as 2010 Simon & Schuster published a young adult book that incorporates
Augmented Reality. The book is entitled, The Search for Wondla, authored and illustrated
Tony DeTerlizzi. Simon & Schuster coined the term Wondla-Vision for the required
software needed to activate the AR for the book. 3
Structural Graphics, a design firm that specializes in 3D direct mail and media kits, is
slowly beginning to use AR in some of its work. A piece designed for Stryker Diagnostics
includes a removable “call-to-action” card with a AR marker printed on it. The “call to
action” instructs the recipient to bring the card to a trade show where, when the card is
placed under the webcam, gives a 3D demo of a hip or knee replacement device which
Stryker produces. 4 In this stage, AR is still cost prohibitive to produce on a large-scale
basis for such products.
There are some other commercial applications for this technology emerging. One of
the first AR marketing campaigns was done by General Electric with the purpose of
promoting its smart grid campaign that shows how wind turbines and solar energy will
fuel our future energy needs. 5 Another campaign that is using AR is the Calvin Klein’s
X Mark Your Spot Underwear campaign.
Launched in March, 2010, this ad campaign,
that is running in 12 editions of GQ magazine
beginning with the April 2010 issue, has a
marker printed on the ad page. When this ad
is placed under the webcam, the monitor will
show a cube popping up from the page which
will eventually navigate to videos of some well
known actors modeling the underwear. 6
In January, 2010, Wallpaper* magazine
published its first issue that incorporates
AG. As the pages of this magazine are turned
under a webcam, the pages will come to
life with added dimension and images. The
purpose of this issue is to “showcase a series
of other people’s work with AR – a quest to
uncover the practical, creative and dynamic
possibilities of this interactive technology”. 7
After seeing the work of Camille Scherrer,
a 2008 graduate in media and interaction
design at the ECAL/University of Art and
Design at Lausanne, Switzerland, Louis
Vuitton partnered with her to create AR
animation for the new “Louis Vuitton: Art,
Fashion and Architecture” book. 8 This book
uses AR in a beautiful, artistic way, emulating
movables which is the umbrella under which
pop-ups reside. Her groundbreaking work uses
“high-performance software that eliminates
FIGURE 2.3 Susie from Structural Graphics demonstrates Augmented Reality promotional piece.
FIGURE 2.4 General Electric’s Augmented Reality campaign.
FIGURE 2.5 Augmented Reality
issue of Wallpaper*
FIGURE 2.6 Augmented Reality ad for Calvin Klein.
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